French Guiana Nears First Direct Subsea Cable Link to Continental Europe

EllaLink and Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) welcomed a visiting party from SPLANG, the Government of Maranhão in Brazil, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) at two ASN sites in France.

NEWS Americas, DUBLIN, Ireland, July 15, 2026: The tour covered ASN’s Les Ulis headquarters, where guests viewed technology demonstrations, and the Calais plant, where they observed the Lum@link cable being loaded onto a cable ship.

The vessel CS Île d’Yeu has since departed for Cayenne, French Guiana, to start a marine installation campaign scheduled to run through the summer. Officials say the Lum@link network remains on course to become operational before the end of 2026.

The work represents a key advance toward the first direct undersea link between French Guiana and mainland Europe. A 2,100-kilometre extension will join Cayenne’s new landing station to the existing EllaLink trunk off Fortaleza, creating direct optical paths from Cayenne to Sines in Portugal and Fortaleza in Brazil.

Leandro da Silva Costa, President of the State Information Technology Agency, and Anderson da Silva Serra, Director of Technological Infrastructure and Connectivity at ATI/MA, joined the delegation on behalf of the Government of the State of Maranhão. They watched as two branching units were loaded for future northern Brazil connections—one aimed at São Luís in Maranhão and another at Salinópolis in Pará.

Lum@link is intended to support direct connectivity among Cayenne, Fortaleza and northern Brazilian states, including Maranhão (São Luís) and Pará (Salinópolis), strengthening French Guiana’s position as a digital bridge linking the Caribbean, Brazil and Europe.

For SPLANG and the State of Maranhão, the visit underscored EllaLink’s role in delivering infrastructure seen as vital to regional economic growth.

The European Commission is backing the project with a €29.9 million grant under the CEF Digital programme, administered by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). The Lum@link system also benefits from investment by the Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane (CTG) and funding from the AFD. For the planned Brazilian branches, the IDB and AFD are providing finance to Pará and Maranhão.

Marie-Lucienne Rattier, President of SPLANG, said: “To see the Lum@link cable loaded and on its way to Cayenne is a deeply significant moment for French Guiana. With the lay now under way and the system on track to enter service by the end of 2026, we are securing our international connectivity for the long term, ensuring our digital sovereignty and catalysing the economic and social development of our territory.”

Philippe Dumont, CEO at EllaLink, added: “Watching the Lum@link cable being loaded in Calais and the Île d’Yeu setting sail for Cayenne to begin the lay is a proud moment for the entire EllaLink team. After years of planning, engineering and construction, marine installation is now under way. We expect to complete the lay over the summer, and the system is on track to be ready for service by the end of 2026, delivering a direct, sovereign route between French Guiana, Brazil and continental Europe. We are honoured to share this milestone with SPLANG, the Government of Maranhão and the partners who have made it possible.”